In Kruty village UOC believers strongly retaliate against provocateurs

vA meeting in the village of Kruty, Chernigov region

On February 27, 2019, in the village of Kruty of Nezhin district, Chernigov region, a group of the OCU supporters, led by the schismatic "priest" S. Chutchenko, attempted to transfer the community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to the OCU, the press service of the Nezhin eparchy reports.

They arranged a meeting of the territorial community of the village, at which the first deputy chairman of Nezhin Regional State Administration Sergiy Batrak announced the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations", according to which "the decision to change the subordination shall be taken at a general meeting of the religious community."

It was the point village head of Kruty Victor Makedon "caught" the provocateurs. Guided by the current legislation of Ukraine, he refused the OCU supporters to consider the issue of transferring the UOC community to the OCU at a meeting of the territorial community.

It should be noted that earlier the St. Michael's community of the UOC has already held its meeting, in which it unanimously reaffirmed its loyalty to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and its Primate, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy.

“Although the provocateurs did not immediately back off, the religious community did not succumb to provocations and did not take part in voting,” the diocese said in its statement.

True though, some regional media immediately spread false information that allegedly at a village meeting a vote was taken for the transition to the OCU. Upon this fake, a lawsuit is being prepared by the religious community of Kruty village in order to bring the lie-mongers to justice for inciting religious hatred and appeals for aggression on religious grounds.

As the UOJ reported, in the village of Andriyashevka, Romny district of Sumy region, UOC believers are asking to protect the community from the raider seizure of its church by the OCU followers.

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